


Hair Matters

by notjustmom



Series: Box of 64 [31]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, M/M, Parentlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11117358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notjustmom/pseuds/notjustmom
Summary: This morning I woke up to my flat mate reading me about a little girl whose team was not allowed to play in the finals of a girls' youth soccer tournament because 'she did not look like a girl;' simply because her hair was short. The article made ESPN, the Washington Post and most major news outlets. I've spent the day trying to work my brain around this and as usual, I turn to the boys and Ro to help me work through this.Her name is Mili Hernandez. She is 8 years old. Let her play.





	Hair Matters

"Can I you a question, Da?"

Sherlock snipped another bit of Rosie's hair, then stepped back and looked at her to make sure her hair was even, but not too even. She kept her blonde hair short and spiky, shaven on the sides, as she hated fussing with it. "Of course, Ro."

"Do people ever think you're a girl? Well, you'd be a woman, not a girl, because you're a grown up -"

Sherlock frowned and raised an eyebrow at his daughter, then understood. He put the scissors away and sat in front of her. 

"I mean, why do you wear your hair long? You always complain about how long it takes you to wash it and -" her shoulders slumped and her words faded as she found the linoleum tiles interesting for the first time in her life.

"Well, for one thing, I have famous hair."

"Famous hair?" Rosie looked up at Sherlock to see if he were serious, or just pulling her leg. Something in his face told her he was being honest.

Sherlock sighed and nodded."People expect me to look a certain way. If I have to do a press conference, people expect to see me in the coat, and suit and long, curly hair -"

"And the hat." Rosie smiled.

"And the hat." Sherlock made a face and Rosie laughed. "To answer your question. As a child, my mum loved my curls. I hated them, but she adored them, and I knew it made her sad when I got my hair cut short, so I wore it long for her. But, when I started school, my classmates were less than kind. I went to a boys' school, where everyone had very short hair, and yes, they made fun of me, especially once they found out about my middle name. I went by William then, because I thought I would fit in better."

"It didn't help." Rosie whispered.

Sherlock shook his head and ran his fingers through Rosie's spiky hair. "Did someone call you a boy at school?"

"Me? Hell, no! Sorry, Da. Heck, no. They know I'll - uhm, never mind, You don't need to know -"

"Ro?" Sherlock raised an eyebrow at her, then nodded. "A new girl?"

"Yeah, her name is Lily, and she's really great, she wears her hair even shorter than me, and she knows everything, she loves Shakespeare almost as much as I do, though she loves Romeo and Juliet -" She made a gagging face and Sherlock nodded his agreement. "It was her first day today, and the 'cool' girls were really awful to her. She's a military brat, so she didn't pay any attention to them, but I got so angry, Da, I wanted to -"

"I know, Rosie. It's unfair that so many people make snap judgments about others simply because of how they look. Especially something as superficial as how someone wears their hair."

"But, it's not superficial, Da. It's one of the first things people notice. How I wear my hair is important to me. But, I don't think it's fair that people think it's okay to make other people feel bad because they are different."

Sherlock nodded. "I know, Ro. Hopefully, you let Lily know that she made a very strong impression on you today?"

Rosie nodded, then grinned at him. "Yes, Da, she's the best. Even if she's never read Henry V."

Sherlock gasped in mock surprise, and Rosie laughed. "Better?"

Rosie hopped up from her chair and kissed Sherlock on the cheek. "Loads, thank you, Da. I'm gonna go read, Love you."

"Love you, Ro."

 

"When you saw me for the first time, what did you notice first?" Sherlock murmured into the dark as they settled down to sleep.

"Your eyes."

"And then?"

"Your voice."

"And?"

"Then your intelligence - why do you ask?"

"So, if I got my hair cut short tomorrow -" Sherlock's eyes sparkled as John took a deep breath in suddenly.

"I - if it is something you want to do -" John whispered.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Uhm - it would take some adjusting, but of course I wouldn't - you aren't seriously thinking -"

"No. I was just curious - Rosie and I had a talk about haircuts today and it got me wondering if you were drawn to me just because of my hair."

John snorted and reached out to touch Sherlock's hair, wrapping a curl around his finger and pulling gently. Sherlock sighed and snuggled closer. "I do confess that I would miss your curls if you ever cut them off, but you are so much more than your hair, Sherlock. The day we met, I was drawn to the brilliance in your eyes, the music of your voice, and how you looked past my obvious brokenness, and saw me. I don't think anyone had ever seen me before that day."

"I was simply observing."

"No. You were curious about me, and even though you knew I was damaged, you took a chance on me."

"John. You weren't damaged, you just needed time to heal."

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes. I think the day we met you were ready to give up, but I saw a light blaze away in your eyes, in the way you didn't back down, how you challenged me - no one had bothered before, I wanted to know more about you - and yes, I did wonder for just a moment what your hair would feel like under my fingers -"

"Oh, yeah?" John grinned, then shivered as Sherlock laid his hands into his hair, a bit longer, and greyer than it had been back then.

"Mmmhmm."

"And?"

"It's even more beautiful than it was back then, as you have grown more important to me since that moment, and even then I felt like I had met my equal, my best friend,...my heart."

"And you call me the romantic." 

"Of course, back then, I didn't know what it meant - all I knew was that I wanted to get to know you, see what was beneath the doctor/soldier, because you intrigued me, John."

"Do I still -"

"Oh, yes, if we lived three lifetimes, it wouldn't be enough time to know everything about you."

"I do believe that's the loveliest thing you've ever said to me."

"Nothing but the truth, John."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."


End file.
